MC Law Review

2012 Law Review Symposium

Today, over 800 million people use Facebook, where 3.5 billion pieces of news, links, and stories are shared every week. 50 million people check Twitter on a daily basis. Social media networks reach 80% of the 245 million Internet users in the United States. 84% of college students and young professionals interrupt their ongoing projects to use social media. To put it bluntly, society is embracing a new medium of human connection. The clients and consumers in that society expect their lawyers and businesses to do the same.

The Mississippi College Law Review hosted a Symposium on Social Media and the Law, which was held in the law school’s CNF Auditorium on February 24, 2012. Attorney Michael Rubin of McGlinchey Stafford in Baton Rouge opened the event with a booming presentation on professional responsibility issues that lawyers face on social media websites.

The first panel addressed privacy concerns that arise online: Professor Aviva Orenstein, who is from Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law, discussed the admissibility of certain types of evidence found on social media; Professor Stephen Henderson from the University of Oklahoma College of Law talked about 4th Amendment searches and seizures online and inquired into society’s reasonable expectations of privacy; and Professor Junichi Semitsu, who teaches at the University of San Diego School of Law, addressed safety concerns and other criminal-procedure issues.

A second panel examined communication issues that arise on social media sites: MC Law alumnus Martin Frascogna, who has published five books on the issue and holds a Masters in International Marketing from DePaul University, discussed the changing market for creators (singers, musicians, authors, etc.) and legal concerns with contemporary entertainment and marketing; Tulane Law Professor Elizabeth Townsend-Gard explored society’s increased demand for access to creative expressions; and finally, Lesli Harris, who holds an LL.M. in Intellectual Property from New York University and formerly worked as a law clerk at the Media Law Department of NBC Universal, addressed the trademark issues that businesses face in light of social media's explosion.

Professor Lee Hetherington and Professor Alina Ng of the Mississippi College School of Law introduced the speakers and moderated each panel. On behalf of our Law Review, I would like to thank each and every person who contributed to this success.